Jonathan Gushue of The Berlin Kitchener: 23 questions

Newfoundland-born Jonathan Gushue is the chef and co-owner of downtown Kitchener’s The Berlin, open since late 2015.

Gushue took his culinary training at Georgian College, Barrie, Ont., and spent his formative cooking years in London, England. In 2001, he cooked at Vancouver’s Wedgewood Hotel Relais & Châteaux as the executive sous chef before heading to the Four Seasons Hotel in Vancouver as sous chef tournant. After a year, Gushue became head chef at Truffles Restaurant at Toronto’s Four Seasons Hotel under Lynn Crawford and where he helped maintain its CAA/AAA Five Diamond status.

In November 2005, Gushue arrived in Waterloo Region to head up the kitchen at Langdon Hall Country House Hotel, a Relais et Châteaux property. Gushue was instrumental in Langdon’s continued run holding a CAA/AAA Five Diamond Award, and he became a Relais & Châteaux “Grand Chef,” the equivalent of two Michelin stars. He and staff put Langdon on the San Pellegrino list of best 100 restaurants in the world in 2010.

Chef you’d most like to meet?Gushue: [long pause] This sounds arrogant, but there are many I have met. Immediately comes to mind are Joel Robuchon and Marco Pierre White. I mean I’ve met them, but we haven’t sat and had dinner. Otherwise, I would like to meet Eric Ripert.